Who Goes There?

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

New rumor floating around is that the BBC is considering reviving “Doctor Who” with Anthony Stewart Head as the traveling Time Lord.

My understanding is that this rumor, while enthusiastic and certainly food for thought, is also not true. So why am I repeating it here? Well, I figure that maybe it’s like “Beetlejuice.” If you same it enough times, maybe it’ll just spontaneously happen. Now personally, I liked Paul McGann in the role, but I think Tony Head would be even better in it. McGann captured the man of action aspect, but not the scholarly manner of the Doctor, and I think Head could encompass both.

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Many Happy Returns

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

So the word is out on what’s coming up for SUPERGIRL. If you head over to Comicon.com, you’ll read all about the return of–maybe–Kara Zor-El in the 75th issue of SUPERGIRL.

Bottom line is, I believe that there are still potential readers for the series out there who aren’t even giving it a try because it’s not the Silver Age cousin of Superman (you remember…the one who could never sustain a series). And I figured, Y’know, let’s embark on a development that will pull in even those readers. And let’s play off a cover that is one of the most instantly recognizable cover images that DC has ever produced, so much so that a statue was produced and sold of the moment. Although in reviewing that sequence as I prepped the issue, I was struck by the fact that Kara’s ship was crumbled upon landing. Shouldn’t it have been “invulnerable?”

At any rate, the seeds for the storyline actually start being sown with issue #73, so be on the lookout for it. And if you’re not reading the book and want to start, for heaven’s sake tell your retailer.

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Just when I thought I was out…

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

Ðámņ. I found a dozen more “Captain Marvel” letters, just when I thought I’d finished them all up. I’d misfiled them. Since it’s my fault, I’ll stick the extra postage on. Rats. Ah well.

People are actually receiving the previews (which means .34 cents was enough postage, thank heavens) and the response seems pretty positive. Over in the Warren Ellis Forum, a fellow named Isaac Sher got his and posted a really nice write-up about it in the Comics News Section. I’d post a direct link to the message, but I’m not clever enough to figure out how to do it. Don’t bother trying to post a follow up response, though, if you do happen to find it: Warren made a point of shutting down the topic before anyone could reply, instructing the poster to find another forum to discuss “Captain Marvel” in. Not sure why, but it’s his forum and his call, so once again…ah well.

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Not Quite Ready to Rumble

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

I attended the Comic show at Madison Square Garden today. Saw old friends such as Walt Simonson, Chris Claremont, a buffed, bald and unrecognizable Joe Rubinstein. Colleen Doran was kind enough to escort Ariel (not to mention Bob Greenberger’s teen daughter, Katie) over to meet Rutger Hauer and Warwick Davis, and Ariel got an autographed picture of Davis as Wicket the Ewok.

A gorgeous girl named “Solange” walked up to me and asked if I make use of models. Being a writer, I have no use for them whatsoever. Naturally I said “yes.” She gave me her card. Ðámņ. What a time not to be able to draw. Also met “the Ferret Man,” a local fellow who is head of “New York’s Ferret’s Rights Advocacy” and drew the ire of no less than Rudy Guiliani because of his concern about the rights of ferrets. I got his card, too. Solange’s has a picture of Solange on it. His has a little drawing of a ferret. If I could only save one card from drowning, it wouldn’t be a tough call to make.

Also met WWE wrestler Raven, who told me he’s a huge fan of “Captain Marvel.” He offered me wrestling tickets for Saturday night at the Garden, but my show “Checking Out” is still running at Molloy College, and so I had to be back in Long Island Saturday night. More’s the pity. I’ve never been to a wrestling match, but since so many people have compared my tussle with Marvel to wrestling, I am now intrigued to see at least one match. And with free tickets, why not? Raven is a very pleasant and amiable fellow. At one point he was trying on t-shirts at a dealer’s table. I saw passing women (and a couple of passing men) trying not to look at his bare chest and utterly failing. Ideally I’ll be able to take him up on his offer at a future date. And hey, if “Captain Marvel” is outsold by “Marville,” maybe Raven can put Bill Jemas in a headlock.

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This is the Mysterions…

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

Newly out on DVD is the entirety of “Captain Scarlet,” one of those great Gerry Anderson puppet series that I watched as a kid. Captain Scarlet, as (hopefully most of) you recall, was an unkillable operative for SPECTRUM, an organization dedicated to battling the ongoing threat of the evil Mysterions.

I already own the 12-inch dolls of the Captain and his nemesis, Captain Black (who was, as it happens, not actually African-American.) But Kathleen found the shows on DVD, and bought them for me. So I”m in the living room along with Gwen (my 17 year old) who’s reading a book, and in bounds Kathleen who announces, “Guess what. I’ve got Captain Scarlet!”

And Gwen looks up from her book and says in bewilderment, “What is that, like, slang for your period? ‘I’ve got Captain Scarlet, along with his friends, Major Cramps, General Discomfort and Private Parts?”

Another fond childhood memory shot.

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All Others Pay Cash

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

Now the courts are noticing that the separation of church and state in this country is a joke? NOW? It took THIS LONG?

I’m sorry, it just seems silly to go after the Pledge of Allegiance. I mean, who are we fooling? “In God We Trust” appears on everything from the money to the walls of courtrooms. People pledge to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help them God. Government offices are closed on Christmas (although not, I believe, the Jewish high holidays. I *think* you can take them off if you’re Jewish, but the offices remain open, thereby indicating that some Gods are More Equal than others.)

I’ve been saying for years that lip service is paid to separation of Church and state, but it’s a little late in the game to start trying to expunge mentions of God from everyday life. It’s simply too ingrained. I feel sorry for Atheists, I suppose, but if Jews can deal with the entire country celebrating the birth of a savior we don’t believe in every year, Atheists can cope with “under God.”

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Meet the press

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

Well, *that* was like running a marathon.

Just got off the phone with Bill Jemas, Joe Quesada and a dozen or so comics journalists. That Marvel holds the press conferences on Wednesday is unfortunate since that’s new comics day, so any journalist who’s also a retailer has problems attending, but hey, what can ya do?

I have no idea how it went, personally. I said everything that occurred to me, which probably meant I talked waaaay too much, but I figured the more I said, the more the journalists had to choose from in terms of picking quotes. Unless I put them to sleep.

Bill and Joe endeavored to push me into “putting up” something, some sort of public display, if CM doesn’t outsell the others. Nah. The McFarlane debate cured me of that kind of stunt. Nowadays, the more someone tries to push me into something, the more I dig in my heels and say “Unh unh.” It also broke me up that at one point Bill was dissing Marvel business practices of the 1980s while boasting of Marvel’s graphic novel success in bookstores…kind of ignoring the fact that book store penetration and Marvel’s entire graphic novel program were *from* the 1980s. Go figure.

Here’s the thing I’ll always wonder about, and which no one asked: Why is it that if a reader has problems understanding a story, it’s the writer’s fault? But if a retailer doesn’t understand Marvel’s reorder policies, then the retailer’s IQ is called into question?

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